Beginnings

We all know the stories of how creative people get into the business of creating for a living, but how did they start using their imaginations in the first place? On the Beginnings podcast, writer and performer Andy Beckerman asks well-known and up-and-coming comedians, musicians, writers and artists about their earliest creative acts and about other formative childhood experiences.

On today's show, I talk to writer Jen Statsky. Born in Boston,
Jen moved to New York to attend NYU, and from there climbed the
comedy writing ladder, first starting as an intern at The
Onion and eventually working her way up to writing on
Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Merchant's show Hello
Ladies, Parks and Rec and most...

On today's show, I talk to writer Heidi Julavits. Originally
from Portland, Maine, Heidi is a professor at Columbia and the
author of four fantastic books: The Mineral Palace,
The Effect of Living Backwards, The Uses of
Enchantment, and most recently The Vanishers, which
was published in 2012. As well, her short...

On today's show I talk to stand-up Hari Kondabolu. Born and raised
in Queens, Hari became a professional stand-up almost by chance
while working as an immigrant rights organizer. He’s performed on
Jimmy Kimmel, Letterman, Conan, John Oliver and
has his own Comedy Central Presents. Hari also wrote for
and appeared as a...

On today's show I talk to cartoonist Paul Hornschemeier. Based in
Boston, Paul grew up in Ohio, studying psychology and philosophy at
Ohio State University. After being introduced to the works of
Daniel Clowes, Paul realized that comics could be a venue to
discuss existential topics. A number of his books have...

On today's show, I talk to John Colpitts AKA Kid Millions of the
bands Oneida and Man Forever. John started drumming in high
school and moved to New York in the late-90s to get into music more
seriously. After working in music adjacent jobs like being the
booker for The Knitting Factory and playing in a jazz trio,...

About the Podcast

We all know the stories of how creative people get into the business of creating for a living, but how did they start using their imaginations in the first place? On the Beginnings podcast, writer and performer Andy Beckerman asks well-known and on-their-way-up comedians, musicians, writers, artists and thinkers about their earliest creative acts, their formative childhood experiences, and how they've developed both creatively and emotionally over the years. Beginnings is part therapy, part philosophy and almost all fascinating (95% according to FDA studies).